Zak Starkey ‘surprised and saddened' the Who fired him after 28 years
Zak Starkey, the drummer son of Ringo Starr, says he was 'surprised and saddened' over reports that drama forced him from the Who after nearly three decades with the English rock band.
The 59-year-old percussionist said in a statement to People Wednesday that he 'suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf' at the start of the year, though that's 'now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.'
British outlets reported that Starkey was axed due to a March performance at Royal Albert Hall, wherein he was playing too loudly — 'overplaying,' as he recently joked on Instagram — making it difficult for lead vocalist Roger Daltrey to 'sing to that.'
'I'm very proud of my near 30 years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, 'uncle Keith' has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan. They've been like family to me,' Starkey said in the statement to People. Original drummer Keith Moon died of an accidental overdose in 1978.
'After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I'm surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do? … 29 years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.'
Starkey began playing with the 'Won't Get Fooled Again' band in 1996.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
39 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
‘Party of Five' alum Scott Wolf says he's divorcing wife Kelley Wolf after 21 years
Kelley Wolf and Scott Wolf are starting new chapters in their life. The 48-year-old 'Real World: New Orleans' alum, who has since become a life coach and podcaster, took to Instagram on June 10 to announce that she and her husband, Scott Wolf, are divorcing. The pair were married for 21 years and share three kids — Jackson, 16, Miller, 12, and Lucy, 11. 'It is with a heavy heart that Scott and I are moving forward with the dissolution of our marriage,' she wrote in the caption alongside an image of three eagles flying over a female lion. 'This has been a long, quiet journey for me—rooted in hope, patience, and care for our children,' she continued, adding that she won't speak publicly about the details. 'I feel peace knowing that I've done everything I can to walk this path with integrity and compassion,' she added. In his own statement shared with People, Scott Wolf said 'After 21 years of marriage, I have made the most difficult decision of my life, and filed for divorce from my wife Kelley. Our children have always been, and continue to be, the loves of our lives and our every priority, so I kindly ask for privacy at this time as we help guide them through this new chapter.' Kelley Wolf met Scott Wolf, best known for his roles in 'Party of Five,' 'The Nine' and 'Nancy Drew,' in 2002 after she was an hour late to their blind date, according to Us Weekly. The couple tied the knot two years later and welcomed their first child, Jackson, in 2009. Miller was born in 2012 and Lucy followed in 2014. In her June 10 caption, Kelley Wolf praised her estranged husband and revealed what's next. 'Scott Wolf is one of the best fathers I've ever known and one of the best partners a woman could have the privilege of sharing life with. He is kind, thoughtful, funny, and beautiful in spirit,' she wrote. 'We both look forward to an extraordinary life centered around the most extraordinary children,' she added. 'My priority has always been their wellbeing—and my own healing. That will never change.' Kelley Wolf's announcement comes five months after Scott Wolf admitted to troubles in their marriage. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, which took place in January, Scott Wolf opened up about how the two have faced a slew of 'challenges' that have 'changed the way I see happiness.' 'My family's been through some stuff over the past few years,' he told Us Weekly at the time. 'This period of time has been weird for a lot of people. And we sort of got blown in the wind a little bit, moved around a bunch, and [I] watched my children deal with all of that,' he added. In her June 10 Instagram post, Kelley Wolf wrote that she was 'stepping into a chapter of peace, freedom, and protection — with grace.' 'May we all remember: healing isn't loud. It's sacred,' she added. As for Scott Wolf, he last posted about his marriage on Feb. 14 in a Valentine's Day tribute to his wife and daughter. 'To my forever Valentines. You have my whole heart and always will. The most beautiful, kind, wise, brave, powerful people in my life. I love you so very much,' he wrote in the caption. He later posted a cryptic video on May 25 about 'when the heart breaks' and the 'meaning of life.'
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lawmakers get theatrical at annual ‘Will on the Hill' show
Several lawmakers took a break from debating legislation on Capitol Hill to instead recite William Shakespeare at Harman Hall on Tuesday evening. The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) hosted its annual 'Will on the Hill,' welcoming members of Congress, journalists and students to perform popular Shakespeare scenes to fund its youth arts education programs, which reach nearly 20,000 students and teachers across the region. The more than 20-year long tradition also seeks to promote bipartisanship, bringing together lawmakers and political strategists from across the aisle to bolster support for theatre and the arts. Rep. Dina Titus's (D-Nev.) performance of the last scene of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was the hit of the night. Her interpretation of old-English Shakespeare, which included a Southern accent, made the crowd roar in laughter. Another notable performance was the standoff between the Capulets and Montagues, two enemy families, in the opening scene of 'Romeo and Juliet.' As Atlantic journalist Steve Clemons, Republican political strategist Grover Norquist, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) and Fox News correspondent Rich Edson bit their thumbs at each other on stage, the producers noted that giving them foam swords was the safest amid a tense political climate. The crowd then commended Sen. Chris Coons's (D-Del.) impersonation of Brutus plotting the assassination of Julius Caesar in the Shakespeare play of the same name. With political tensions rattling the country, seeing lawmakers fumbling over their words and trying to remember their lines proved to be refreshing entertainment. The elected officials were accompanied on stage by Holly Twyford, a pillar of D.C. theatre, and Renea Brown, an award winning actor. The show also included a stage combat demonstration by STC students. An elementary school student brilliantly played King Oberon in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' and two high school students performed 'All's Well That Ends Well.' STC Executive Director Angela Lee Gieras praised the event as an opportunity for children to express themselves, highlighting the courage it takes to perform in front of an audience. This year's performance was presented by Michael Evans, former Democratic chief counsel and deputy staff director for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, who is an avid Shakespeare enthusiast. Samantha Wyer Bello, STC's senior director of learning, returned to direct her sixth production of 'Will on the Hill.' The STC also honored the memory of the late Democratic Reps. Gerry Connolly (Va.) and Charles Rangel (N.Y.) for their dedication to public service and their year-after-year support of 'Will on the Hill.' Other notable cast members included Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI), D.C. Council chairman Phil Mendelson, DC councilmember Brooke Pinto, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities executive director Aaron Myers, Washington Post columnist James Hohmann and Politico journalist Olivia Beavers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mom Thought Her Toddler Was Just Playing. Then Something Caught Her Eye (Exclusive)
One evening, Alex Moore was playing with her 23-month-old daughter, Addy They were being silly and listening to nursery rhymes when all of a sudden, Addy started dancing Alex watched as her daughter slid off the bed and began doing little high-kick stompsAlex Moore and her husband, Christian, both work full-time. So after wrapping up their workdays and picking up their daughter from daycare, the North Carolina-based couple likes to wind down by laying in bed to decompress. One evening, Christian went to make dinner while Alex stayed back to play with their 23-month-old daughter, Addy. They were being silly and listening to nursery rhymes when all of a sudden, Addy started dancing. Alex watched as her daughter slid off the bed and began doing little high-kick stomps. "I had no idea what she was doing until she said 'cha cha??' " Alex, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively. Alex goes on to explain that her daughter learned the "Cha-Cha Slide" by DJ Casper at daycare. She says her teacher, Ms. Mikaila, plays the song often and has been teaching the kids the steps. Although Ms. Mikaila had previously sent Alex videos of Addy dancing along to the "Cha-Cha Slide" at daycare, this was the first time she had seen her daughter perform some of the correct steps in person — especially the stomping and the 'hands on your knees' move. "She was walking around stomping her feet with almost a high-kick fashion, and I kept giggling because I'd never seen her stomp like that before," Alex, a aesthetics technician, says. In the moment, Alex pulled out her phone and recorded the sweet scene. Later, she decided to post it to TikTok, thinking, 'This is too good to not share with more people.' But then, the video quickly went viral, amassing more than 7.4 million views and 13,000 comments. "I knew she was demanding the cha cha slide at daycare' is in incredible statement in itself 😭," one user wrote. "and it is already knows her left and right ✅️❤️," someone else replied. Another person commented, "That's actually so impressive that she knows the cha cha slide at her age .. what an icon." Reading through the comments, Alex says she couldn't help but smile. "The kind of responses I've received from the video are the exact ones I was hoping," she says. " 'This made my day, thank you so much.' It was an added bonus to hear that my daughter could excel in a dance class, because what parent doesn't want to hear that their child has a knack for something?" "My daughter brings me so much joy every day, so I really loved that I could do that for other people," the mom adds. "Also hearing from other daycare employees that they'll start implementing the song into their classrooms for teaching directions, and dance teachers that she has amazing skills for her age — that feedback really stood out to me the most." Since her daughter is so young, Alex knows won't remember much from this time, but in teaching her about it in a few years, she hopes her daughter realizes that she made a lot of people smile when they felt like they couldn't. "Addy has taught me that children truly are like flowers: when they're given a loving environment, taught things with patience and in a fun way, they can blossom into the best versions of themselves," she says. "Along with truly being able to dance your little heart out when you feel it!" Read the original article on People
